hole up

holed up; holing up; holes up

Definition of hole up

intransitive verb

: to hide out in or as if in a hole or cave

transitive verb

: to place in or as if in a refuge or hiding place

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hole up

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Examples of hole up in a Sentence

we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane

Recent Examples on the Web The blast, which occurred just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, kept the tanks and nearby vegetation burning for several hours and prompted a shelter-in-place alert that kept nearby communities holed up inside their homes. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Contra Costa explosion: It could have been worse," 16 Oct. 2019 Netanyahu remained holed up at his official residence in Jerusalem past midnight, as supporters awaited him at a campaign event in Tel Aviv. — Washington Post, "Israel’s Netanyahu appears to suffer setback in exit polls," 17 Sep. 2019 But, for me, there is no better way to spend a too-hot summer day than holed up in my apartment, watching people melt sand. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, "The Fiery Pleasures of “Blown Away,” a Reality-TV Competition for Glassblowing," 31 July 2019 The pair eventually holed up with the three-person ABC crew who were staying in a condo in another part of the resort. — Johnny Diaz, sun-sentinel.com, "WPLG reporter as Hurricane Dorian destroyed Marsh Harbour: ‘Can you let my mom and dad know I’m okay?’," 10 Sep. 2019 We were being bombarded by media telling us to hole up, hunker down and hang in. — Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, "Home decor: How to make your own placemats," 10 Sep. 2019 To write Tools and Weapons, Smith holed up before dawn in a windowless meeting room, running through Browne’s edits while his colleagues trickled onto campus. — Romesh Ratnesar/redmond, Time, "How Microsoft's Brad Smith is Trying to Restore Your Trust in Big Tech," 8 Sep. 2019 We were being bombarded by media telling us to hole up, hunker down and hang in. — Marni Jameson, orlandosentinel.com, "How to make rainy-day placemats," 5 Apr. 2019 Bairlein said that during the last great glacial period, when much of the far north was ice-covered, wheatears may have been holed up in the Middle East. — Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s northern wheatears are about to embark on a remarkable journey," 10 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hole up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for hole up

Last Updated

16 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for hole up

The first known use of hole up was in 1875

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